Linked Article: Kids, Head Injuries and the NFL

Dan Rather has written an excellent piece about the dangers of traumatic brain injury amongst primary school-aged participants of sports activities. Highlighted is the data that the NFL itself recently released about the incidence of long-term impairment amongst it’s players, with a discussion of what the information means to coaches and athletes. The information is just as applicable to teachers and students of martial arts.

The article ends with a bit of advice that any martial arts instructors and students should follow when it comes to a possible concussion:

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"Try to see yourself as you truly are and try to adopt what is meritorious in the work of others. As a karateka you will of course often watch others practice. When you do and you see strong points in the performance of others, try to incorporate them into your own technique. At the same time, if the trainee you are watching seems to be doing less than his best ask yourself whether you too may not be failing to practice with diligence. Each of us has good qualities and bad; the wise man seeks to emulate the good he perceives in others and avoid the bad." Funakoshi Gichin

This is similar to the hydration issue with the death of the NFL player that forced an increased awareness that trickled down to kids. The problem with concussions is that some kids either won’t recognize or won’t want to come out of a game if they have experienced some form of head trauma. In youth football kids are taught to lower their shoulders but keep their head up – easy to say but not always easy to do.